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cor-ten fountain

04-16-2008, 12:54 AM

Time to kill so I thought I'd share some pics of a fountain/basin we did a while back. The basin was 1/4" material, while the cascade, or chase, was 3/16".
For some reason I thought it a good idear to stick weld this thing together using the appropriate weathering electrode. I'm no stick weldor, but I'm willing to learn. I welded the entire inside seams of the basin, which was about 18' long and 16" wide. I used a Maxstar 200DX for this project. Sweet machine.

1. material shows up.
2.-5. We worked from a scribe off the wall at the site. It had an irregular curvature to it... of course. Plasma cut the bottom from a template and started tacking the sides up. We also cobbled together a long platform on which to build this thing.

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The top of the cascade had a wave profile, so JC diligently cut it out using a pattern. We have a Spectrum 701 in the shop. It's the only plasma cutter I've used, so I don't know how it compares to others.

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Now, before KB trips a breaker when he's ampin' out wondering why there are no pics of the WELDS... here are a couple.
We made the cleats to hang the chase from some 3/8 x 2 stainless 304 bar we had kickin' around. I decided to TIG these for no particular reason. I then used a 309 rod and switched back to stick to weld the cleats supports to the back of the chase.

I may be no KB or Engloid, but I'm finding my way.

1 and 2. GTAW for the cleats.
3. SMAW to the backside.
4. Shimmy into place. Heavy metal.
5. Just add water.

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The top of the cascade had a wave profile, so JC diligently cut it out using a pattern. We have a Spectrum 701 in the shop. It's the only plasma cutter I've used, so I don't know how it compares to others.

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Bert, that bend is accomplished on a large hydraulic press brake. The machine required to do that kind of forming is too much machine for my outfit, so I plan ahead and outsource all of our heavier forming.

If you like that bend, you'll love these. I had these formed out of 3/8" material. Due to the geometry, we couldn't form it all from one piece, so I had to weld on the bottom to create last bend. Heavy metal, dude. I made two of these about seven years ago for a hotel in my area.

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We chose cor-ten so it would just weather in the elements along the California coastline. We did line all the interior surfaces with some gnarly stuff I refer to as "the Black Oil." All of the outside corner welds were ground smooth, so they're shiny for a little while until they oxidize and blend in with the rest.

Although we often do it, I don't like to paint our projects. It inevitably scratches, chips, or otherwise wears away... nothing lasts forever. Customers always wonder why their expensive patio furniture looks so dirty and worn after a few months. I tell them to park their $120,000 car outside under a tree for a few months .... get the idea?